Heads & Tales

This week marks Oppidan's 10th birthday, and we're turning the microphone around. Chief of Staff Adam Goodbody, who has worked alongside the founders for eight years, puts Henry Faber and Walter Kerr in the hot seat. They share the real origin story: a kitchen table office, a dad in a dressing gown and a phone call to a headteacher that launched their first school programme days later. Henry and Walter reflect on the summer camps that were "magic but financially ruinous," the China disaster trip, surviving Covid and why they've come to believe that every child, regardless of background, has remarkably similar needs when it comes to mentoring.

Dr Mary Ashun is CEO of Ghana International School, one of West Africa's leading international schools, where she's spent over 12 years building what she calls "talent architecture" - pipelines to grow Ghanaian teachers and leaders rather than relying on expat hires. A scientist turned educator with degrees from London, Toronto and Buffalo, she's also a Klingenstein Fellow from Columbia and an author of children's books. In this episode, Mary shares the remarkable story of a teacher who swims through crocodile-infested waters to reach his classroom, explains why England poaching 2,300 Ghanaian teachers while offering education aid feels like a contradiction and delivers a powerful challenge: with Africa set to be the demographic centre of gravity, a curriculum where just 6% of texts are African is failing our children.

Dr Kelly Fradin is a pediatrician, childhood cancer survivor and author of Advanced Parenting. Now chair of pediatrics at Atria in New York, she's spent her career at the intersection of healthcare and education, from public schools in the South Bronx to supporting families globally. In this episode, Kelly shares her nuanced take on the ADHD diagnosis debate - why we're both overdiagnosing and missing children who need help - and explains the delicate balance between advocating for your child and stepping back to build their resilience.

Dr Michel Khoury went from M&A at the notorious investment bank Bear Stearns to building a global education empire. After returning to Lebanon to take over Eastwood College – the school his father founded – he's expanded into Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Nigeria and beyond, with an online school he calls the "crown jewel" of the group. In this episode, Michel explains why he believes focused online learning can match traditional school results in half the time, predicts the international school sector will consolidate into just a handful of major players and shares a controversial opinion on why bullying isn't all bad...

Erica Corbin is the Head of Cathedral School of St. John the Divine, the K-8 Episcopal school on Manhattan's Upper West Side now approaching its 125th year. After leadership roles at Collegiate and Chapin – two titans of NYC private education, one boys and one girls – she brings a rare perspective on what different school environments offer children. In this episode, Erica shares the uncomfortable observation she made moving between single-sex schools: we tell boys "they'll get there eventually" while holding girls to higher, more relentless standards. She explains why Cathedral's mission centres on mattering and being part of something bigger, makes the case that the future of teaching is career changers not education graduates and reflects on why headship in Manhattan has been far less lonely than she expected.

Rob Millar has been at Shrewsbury International Bangkok since 2010 – long enough to see the city's British school market explode from a handful of institutions to over 100. Now principal, he shares what it's really like navigating a culture where grandparents influence university choices, parents enquire about Ivy League prep for newborns and the hardest conversation is helping a student find their own voice. He reveals why he's sceptical about classroom technology despite having brilliant resources, and what dressing up as a pantomime rat teaches you about school leadership. Not to be missed!

Jo Duncan became a headmistress at 34 with no senior leadership experience because someone saw something in her she hadn't seen herself. Now leading Wycombe Abbey, one of the UK's top girls' boarding schools, Jo shares what makes their mixed-age dormitories unique, why she's sceptical of boys' schools taking girls in sixth form and what a delayed flight from Delhi taught her about leadership. Plus: her thoughts on "sharenting", the smartphone debate and where the independent sector goes from here.

Up next on Heads & Tales, we're joined by Tom Ferguson, Head of Dwight School Seoul. Speaking from South Korea, Tom reflects on a leadership journey shaped as much by early missteps as by success — from learning when to slow down and listen to navigating cultural expectations in a different country. He shares what it’s really like leading an IB school in Seoul, why being clear with families about what the school is (and isn’t) matters and how consistency and credibility are built day by day rather than through sweeping statements.

On this episode of Heads & Tales, we're joined by Gareth Parker-Jones, Head Master of of Rugby School – one of the UK's most historic schools and the birthplace of the sport. Gareth discusses leading the near 500-year-old institution in the modern world, from character education and the curriculum, to smartphone policies and the wider pressures facing young people today. It's a great conversation and a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain of one of the most famous schools in the world.

Recorded from his office beneath a poster reading “Work hard and be nice to people,” Matthew Shanks joins Walter Kerr for the first episode of 2026 to reflect on leadership, accountability and what success in education really looks like. Drawing on more than 30 years in the profession – as a headteacher, CEO of Education South West and Ofsted inspector – Matthew makes a compelling case for judging education over decades, not data points, and for leading with principle and humanity in a demanding system.